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PM Netanyahu commends the neutralization of the terrorist tunnels in the Gaza Strip

8/5/2014

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The tunnels would have enabled Hamas to kidnap and murder civilians and IDF soldiers by launching simultaneous attacks from the many tunnels that penetrate our territory

PM Benjamin NetanyahuCopyright: GPO/Haim Zach

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(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended the IDF and the ISA on completing the work of neutralizing the terrorist tunnels in the Gaza Strip. The Prime Minister said:

"This was a complicated operation carried out by heroic soldiers under difficult combat conditions. I would like to commend IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, GOC Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Sammy Turgeman, commanders, soldiers and ISA personnel all of whom had the fighting spirit that led to very impressive results.

The operation struck at a strategic network that Hamas had invested great effort in over the years. These tunnels would have enabled Hamas to kidnap and murder civilians and IDF soldiers by launching simultaneous attacks from the many tunnels that penetrate our territory.

As I said at the onset of the operation I said that there is no guarantee of 100% success but we did the utmost in order to achieve the maximum.

At this time, I would like to send condolences to the families who lost their dear ones in this important operation in defense of the citizens of Israel. I speak to all of them and tell them that their sons fell in a battle that could not be more just. The entire nation embraces them."

At a security discussion yesterday at IDF Southern Command headquarters with the participation of Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, IDF Chief-of-Staff Gantz and GOC Southern Command Turgeman, Prime Minister Netanyahu was informed that all of the tunnels which were located and discovered during Operation Protective Edge had been destroyed.